This week's new Novella Niblets release...

Dependable Cadence Wills yearns for excitement. The owner of a yarn business, she is pulled in every direction by her demanding family. Haunting dulcimer notes draw her to a practice for the musical festival, and she spies an intriguing stranger.

Musician Rafe Frasco is a rover, bouncing from one competition to the next. Interest ignites at his first glance at the woman who is enthralled by his music. He is drawn to Cadence whose heart seems big enough to encompass everyone within her reach.

A fantastic opportunity for Rafe presents Cadence with a major problem—is she strong enough to negotiate the business deal that will take him away…maybe forever?

Unmarried and approaching thirty in a small town branded her as ready and willing to meet every unattached man who set foot inside the city limits. A sigh escaped. Like last week when Espe called Trent Sullivan over to their table at El Tres Amigos and then suddenly remembered an important errand, leaving them together. What Espe hadn’t known was Cadence and Trent already had been set up on blind dates—twice—by other well-meaning friends.

Nothing had clicked on those occasions either. Cadence craved someone with a mysterious past like in her beloved romantic suspense novels. A dark, shadowy figure who knew how to excite a woman with a molten look or a lingering touch. A man who fought to hide his pain and almost succeeded. Not someone like Trent—a guy whose high-school accomplishments she could probably recite.

Sweet plaintive notes of a stringed instrument floated on the breeze. Cadence stopped, straining to recognize the tune. A person didn’t grow up surrounded by folk music without knowing just about every ballad that could be plucked.

But this one eluded her. The twanging strings cried with a soulful sadness that grabbed her by the throat. Her thoughts were washed in loneliness, and she turned toward the sound, past the Heritage Herb Garden. A part of Cadence that couldn’t resist helping others had to see who was expressing such need.

She lifted the hem of her long skirt and hurried toward the haunting sound, as if the notes pulled her feet along the path. The compulsion to know who played added speed to her steps. Abreast of the groundhog pottery kiln, she slowed and peered toward the outdoor stage.

On the platform, several musicians were gathered—some unpacking instruments, others adjusting microphones. Off to one side, a dark-haired man sat in a straight-backed chair, one foot braced on a scratched case. He leaned forward and strummed a dulcimer, the light wood instrument cradled on denim-covered thighs.

Cadence stood a dozen feet away and studied the talented player. His too-long hair was tied back, his shoulders were broad inside his western-cut shirt, and his legs were long and lean. Scuffed boots, faded jeans and a worn Harley-Davidson tee-shirt composed his attire. Definitely more attractive than her own outfit. Even from this distance, she spotted a posture that meant the man had an attitude…or was mysterious. A thrill ran over her skin.

Who was this guy? He’d definitely swagger when he walked. Yummy. At the thought, she stepped closer, wanting nothing between her and the performance.

Long fingers picked the strings in a heated crescendo—note on teasing note, twang on shivery twang, strum on driving strum. He ended the song with a flourish, right hand arcing upward as the last note hung on the early morning air.

How did he know exactly how she felt on nights when everyone in Mountain View either had a date or was home curled next to a spouse? The isolation of being solo at the drive-in or enduring the knowing smile of a sympathetic waitress. His song wrapped all those feelings tight around her heart and squeezed. She inhaled, and the backs of her eyes stung.

Hadn’t she learned her lesson about musicians from the way Dale deserted her when his band got the chance to go on the road? Three years running, and he hadn’t yet steered the tour bus through his hometown.

The stranger laid a hand over the strings, rolled his shoulders, and lifted his head. Piercing brown eyes scanned the area, surveying the other musicians, and his gaze locked with hers. For a suspended moment, his gaze roved along her length, widened, and then returned to her face.

Under his scrutiny, she shifted her feet and tugged at the sides of her skirt. Her period costume didn’t exactly show off her figure to its best. Not that the fact should matter, but she couldn’t look away and chose to ignore the warning bells ringing in her head.

~~~oOo~~~

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

As a child, Linda was often found lying on her bed reading about characters having exciting adventures in places far away. As an adult, she discovered romance books and read them at every spare moment. Upon reaching a landmark birthday, she decided to write one of those romances she loved so much. Easier said than done. Perseverance paid out and twelve years later, she received her first call from a publisher and a confession story was published. Now, Linda writes heartwarming contemporary and historical stories with a touch of humor and a bit of sass, and many have a tie to her previous home of Texas.

With interests as widespread as baking, crocheting, watching dog agility matches, and reading thrillers by Swedish authors, Linda is the mother to 4 adult children and grandmother to 2 granddaughters. She currently lives in the southern California mountains with her husband of 35 years.

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use a RoanePublishing.com Gift Code. No purchase necessary, but you must be 18 or older to enter. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter, and announced on the widget. Winner well be notified by emailed and have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. The number of entries received determines the odds of winning. This giveaway was organized by Roane Publishing's marketing department.

Sometimes, to remember all that is best and bright about love, you must go home.

After being dumped by her boyfriend of two years, there is nothing that Sarah Jepsom dreads more than going back home to her marriage-obsessed mother. To make matters worse, it’s for her little sister’s fairytale wedding on none other than Valentine's Day. The only positive note is it will also be a chance to see her dear friend Mark for the first time in a year.

Sarah's Bridezilla sister Valerie takes it upon herself to invite Sarah’s old high school boyfriend to be her date for the wedding. Nathan is set on renewing their relationship, but old feelings remind Sarah why it didn't work the first time. When Mark confesses his long-held feelings for her, Sarah is angry and convinced that romance is not for her. Then, her father reminds her of all that is best and bright about love, that can often be found right under our noses.

Laura Lamoreaux is a licensed clinical psychologist, and drew from her work in therapy to show what living with a mental illness is really like. Her writing partner, T.L. French is a Junior High English teacher, and provided all of the teaching details included in the story.

LINKS:

Twitter - @laura_lamoreaux

T.L. FRENCH

Laura Lamoreaux is a licensed clinical psychologist, and drew from her work in therapy to show what living with a mental illness is really like. Her writing partner, T.L. French is a Junior High English teacher, and provided all of the teaching details included in the story.

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use a RoanePublishing.com Gift Code. No purchase necessary, but you must be 18 or older to enter. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter, and announced on the widget. Winner well be notified by emailed and have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. The number of entries received determines the odds of winning. This giveaway was organized by Roane Publishing's marketing department.

This week's new Novella Niblets release...

Cursed and disfigured, Calliope must find true love before the final leaf falls from the Enchanted Tree. Being bound to her mansion on the outskirts of town leaves her with little hope.

Abandoned by his wife for a wealthy man, Bastian only needs one female in his life, his five-year-old daughter, Yareena. When she goes missing during a raging fire, fate brings him to a strange place where he encounters a woman wearing a golden mask.

An attack by rogues puts Bastian in Calliope’s care. As he struggles against pride and prejudice, Bastian can't ignore his growing attraction to the kind soul behind the mask.

Yareena and the mansion staff do their best at matchmaking, but Calliope can't reveal her darkest secret. Will Bastian discover her true beauty before it’s too late?

Guest Post: The Inspiration behind

The Crimson Curse

Hi Terri, Thank you so much for having me on your blog today!

The inspiration for The Crimson Curse started with a picture. The Masked Hearts anthology call featured an image of a mysterious woman wearing a golden mask and a red cape. My original intention was to write a story to submit for this anthology, but I had a traumatic event happen in my life before the deadline. I was too devastated to write for a while and couldn’t submit it for consideration.

Sometime later, I saw that Roane was accepting novella submissions. I took this to be a sign, and got back to work on my story, which was sitting somewhere around the halfway point.

When I first studied the picture, my knee jerk reaction was to place the main character at a costume party, but I abandoned the idea for fear it might be predictable. I took another look and I asked myself the question, what if she was hiding something and that’s why she covered her face? What if she was disfigured?

From there, the idea started to pick up steam. Beauty and the Beast has always been my all-time favorite Disney movie, and the next thing I knew, my story was a spin on the tale, only with the roles reversed.

I loved writing this story. It was fun to create a fantasy world with magic and witches. I hope that readers will enjoy reading it as much I enjoyed writing it!

~~~oOo~~~

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Melissa J. Crispin lives in Connecticut with her husband, two kids, and an adorable Siberian Husky. She spends her days in the corporate world, and pursues her passion for writing in the late nights and early mornings.

From micro-fiction to novels, Melissa loves to write stories in varying lengths. But, no matter the story, it's almost always about the romance.

GIVEAWAY!

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use a RoanePublishing.com Gift Code. No purchase necessary, but you must be 18 or older to enter. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter, and announced on the widget. Winner well be notified by emailed and have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. The number of entries received determines the odds of winning. This giveaway was organized by Roane Publishing's marketing department.

Ronnie Shay isn’t willing to risk a real relationship. Virtual Match offers her a fake boyfriend, which should satisfy her nagging family. And keep her heart safe. Unexpected attraction sparks with her imaginary beau unearthing a past secret Ronnie thought was banished. When her virtual boyfriend wants to meet, reality rains ruin on Ronnie’s chance for a romantic connection with the not-so-invisible man. Will her heart survive? Is love worth the gamble?

The answer: crazy (or is that creative?) writers on Facebook.Back in mid-2015, a romance author I follow posted a link to an online dating service on her author profile. The application was called Invisible Boyfriend. Along with the link, she posed a simple question: “Could you write this story?”About a dozen of her friends said YES. And the craziness took off from there.Kait Nolan (I encourage you to look her up. I’m madly in love with her small town of Wishful, Mississippi) started a private Facebook group for us. There we began to brainstorm what the app would look like to our fictional characters.Within a few weeks, she asked us to post our vague story ideas. It was incredible how they were nothing alike. There were suspense and paranormal stories as well as run-of-the-mill romances (which is where Reality Meets its Match falls).I imagined a career girl with a dark secret whose mother hounded her about getting married. Now, her younger sister is married and her younger brother’s wife is expecting a baby. The pressure is on for Ronnie to hook up.BUT her secret makes her unwilling to have a “real” relationship. She’s willing to shell out money for an invisible boyfriend. Or, as we named the app, a Virtual Match.The perfect match has a secret of his own…a major crush on the vivacious Ronnie. He’s too shy and geeky to ask her out for real. But when he sees her Virtual Match email, he knows he has the hacking skills to become the invisible boyfriend she wants.Problems snowballed from there.Back to the Facebook group of writers. Writing with different independent authors was a great experience. There were deadlines and editing passes. Grammar nerds (me!) volunteered to proofread half the stories.Before long, the group was whittled down to ten and by January 1, 2016, only eight authors remained, plugging away for an April 1st release date.Those eight novellas were available in a collection that sold for $2.99 and was promoted at 99 cents. It was only available for six months (so sorry you missed it).Once the rights returned to me, I knew the story was perfect for Roane’s Novella Niblets line. Even better? Several reviewers of the story wondered what happened next with Ronnie and Marcus.Who am I to deny the readers? So, I’m in the process of writing a sequel (or two).Thanks for hosting me today, Terri.~ Sharon

~~~oOo~~~

About Sharon L. Hughson:

Translating wind-whispered concertos into fiction, Sharon Hughson writes romance and young adult fantasy, living out her lifetime dream and calling it “a job.” After being saved by The Chronicles of Narnia as a teenager, S.L. decided escaping reality alone isn’t nearly as delightful as sharing those make-believe worlds with friends. To that end, she invites you to enter her story realm and fall in love all over again.

Even after twenty-some years married to her high school sweetheart, she enjoys the hearts-a-flutter rush from a well-told romantic tale. S.L. resides in Oregon with her husband, sons and three cats.

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use a RoanePublishing.com Gift Code. No purchase necessary, but you must be 18 or older to enter. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter, and announced on the widget. Winner well be notified by emailed and have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. The number of entries received determines the odds of winning. This giveaway was organized by Roane Publishing's marketing department.